The three new main characters were very good. And it was a good choice to not overwhelm them by focusing on the old guard. Only Han and Chewbacca really got involved. Presumably Luke will play a large role from here on in.

Thought Kylo Ren was a pretty fantastic presence. Thought it was a bit of a misstep to have him remove his helmet so early, though. Thought it should have happened with the Solo showdown.

The Starkiller didn't really seem that big of a deal. The Deathstar was a character all of its own but that was just there.

Thought it was really quite funny. C-3PO showing up and "That's not how the Force works" both had me lolling out loud.

Can't add a tremendous amount more, every aspect of it in terms of comedy, drama, action was fantastic. New cast of living and droids was brilliant, BB8's characterisation was perfect. Loved him. The glaring problems I knew I'd have adapting after loving the EU were difficult but they've started off magnificently.

My only real issue is that of Ren vs Ray, a man trained from birth in the force vs a girl who's known she has it 5 minutes. A man apprenticed to Skywalker and Snoke no less. That's a fight that shouldn't of happened for a time, especially one in which she wins. I know film etc, but still, shaking my head at that.

Yeah it would have been different if he'd been toying with her but he was clearly struggling. Though in fairness she was pretty good at hand to hand prior to the lightsabre so she wasn't starting from scratch.

I've realised we'll never get a Luke/Han reunion.

It's also funny that for the first time, as a massive Star Wars fan, I've left the cinema having enjoyed a Star Wars film.

He was also hit by the Bowcaster which packs a hell of a punch. If anything he was doing damn well seeing as he (possibly) had a chunk of his torso missing.

Also, think back to New Hope. Luke didn't know how to use the force, then he guided the photon torpedo into the exhaust port without the targeting computer. Rey closed her eyes just like he did, and suddenly got guidance from the Force.

Going to be a (slightly drunken) point of dissent here and say I thought it was pretty poor all round. Spent far too long echoing A New Hope from beat-to-beat to legitimately stand as its own thing, which was a bit of a shame. Good laughs in there but all round a bit lacking. But fuck it, I'm off to sleep for 3 hours before work so what do I know?

The being trained in hand to hand before is the only thing that comes close to settling it for me, and at some point surely they'll give her a saberstaff to suit her technique.

But still isn't close, being hit by a bow-caster and her having some force guidance doesn't stop the guy apprenticed to the two most powerful force users in the galaxy. He's got 10x her force guidance as it guides him too. How's she suddenly learnt how to not only feel the force but understand it and let it guide her? She got force suggestion and the power to beat a Sith within hours of being told the force is real! Alone! He should've just played with her and been a little surprised at her power, trying to measure her and have her succumb to his teaching until they were separated by the ground. At her rate she doesn't need Luke/her father (most probably after abandoning her knowing what was gonna happen) at the rate she's going. The force should be something she's taught and earned.

Kinda matches the current generation of getting everything they want but nothing they deserve.

Also, I assume now that Ren is going to be even closer to what Vader had become now that he has been fucked up in battle.

Remember also dude that would be bad for him, the less flesh you are the less force prowess you have. So you wanna be as human/alien as possible or your manipulation of the force suffers. It's why Palpatine wanted to replace Vader with Luke so much.

It was very, very A New Hope as Kaz says, but I didn't really mind that. I wonder if you had a time sync how many scenes would be in a similar time frame?

I'm not arguing with anyone here by the way, its entirely my opinion and I will be extra critical as by now Chewie should be dead, Luke's married an Ex Sith assassin and has a son called Ben and Leia and Han have twins Jacen and Jaina, and a third being a son called Anakin. Fuck you Disney.

I think they definitely played it safe with regards to bad guys and overall story line. Problem with films like these is that if you deviate too much, you'll get fans complaining. Maybe with Starkiller gone it'll free them up to try something new for the sequel.

Stomach was in knots when Han went out on that bridge with Kylo Ren. I had figured it was Han's time to go a while ago, if nothing else due to Ford's age, but it was still a hell of a scene.

Remember also dude that would be bad for him, the less flesh you are the less force prowess you have. So you wanna be as human/alien as possible or your manipulation of the force suffers. It's why Palpatine wanted to replace Vader with Luke so much.

Remember also dude that would be bad for him, the less flesh you are the less force prowess you have. So you wanna be as human/alien as possible or your manipulation of the force suffers. It's why Palpatine wanted to replace Vader with Luke so much.

Indeed.

Not a Sith Lord just yet but well on his way to be, would of liked him to be all scarred and stuff, wanna know how his helmet got that damage or if it's just the cool thing to have it all dented as he looks awesome! Bit daft with his hood down though!

What a night! Wish I didn't have to work today. Really enjoyed it though, what a vast improvement on episodes I, II and III - With regards to Rey and Kylo Ren. It was my understanding that Ren was trained to use the Dark Side because he was Force sensitive whereas Rey is The Force, much like Anakin was and Luke, as in her Midi-chlorian count is off the charts.

Absolutely loved the film I think it was pretty much spot on for what they needed to do to get faith back into the series. I was convinced Han was going to die going in but was still devastated when it happened and was surprised Chewie didn't go down in a blaze of glory trying to avenge him but I suppose we'll get that later. With regard to the Rey Kylo fight I think the film was implying Rey is possibly Luke's daughter (or maybe Han and Leia's but that seems less likely) and that she may of been a Luke's Jedi academy before being mind wiped and left on Jakku after Kylo's turn to the dark side. So I think some of it was her subconsciously remembering her training off set by the beating Kylo took and that apparently his training isn't complete.

I didn't think it was poor, but it was really safe despite being enjoyable. Nothing unpredictable or particularly interesting, but I thought Kylo Ren's name was a nice touch. I saw it early to dodge spoilers but really it was all fairly predictable and far too close to A New Hope. Most of the 'serious' dialogue really stunk, and reminded me of that old Ford quote... 'you can write this shit...'

Thought the new lot and especially Rey were good, bar Ren - when the mask is off he just didn't give me the spark I think he needed - but the fighting and tantrums looked the part.

Interested in where they go with this Snoak chap as it seems very Wizard of Oz. Overall it's nice to have it back and looking good, but I don't think it justifies the choking advertising or the MCU style smorgasbord of releases that are going to tail off from it. If I were reviewing it I'd probably give it a fairly glowing 3 and a half/5.

If Poe was in it a bit more, with some better dialogue at times, and less reliance on gubbing all of the nostalgia in such a short timeframe, I might have nudged that up to a 4.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...
the boy g was twelve years old and seriously in love with Star Wars. He was there on day one in 1977 at the Odeon in Renfield street and had to queue for hours to get in, but boy was it worth the wait.
The ensuing forty years may have dimmed his enthusiasm for the franchise, but today the 12 year old g sat beside his 50 year old counterpart in Cineworld and loved every damn minute of The Force Awakens.
Whenever 50 year old g would raise an eyebrow or frown, he'd turn to look at the the wonder in 12 year old g's eyes sat next to him, and all sins were forgiven.

It's a great film. It's far from perfect, but it's the film that it needed to be.
Yes, it's basically a re-tread of Episode 4, but then again, who hadn't sussed that before the opening fanfare had even sounded?
Yes, there are pacing and plotting issues in the third act, but it's all forgiven because what is up there is just so damn awesome. The young cast were all surprisingly good, and the old hands performed much better than expected. Harrison Ford, rather than phoning it in, absolutely nails it.
The spectacle was spot on, and it really felt like a return to the Star Wars universe we remember so fondly from our collective childhood. It's a bit like meeting up with an old friend after a very long time.

When Han Solo died, the boy g was inconsolable and old g, who may have had something in his eye at that point, had to give him a reassuring hug, and when the all new DeathStar blew up he smiled as the boy g punched the air and yelped. Let's face it, it's basically just a roller-coaster ride for two hours and it's great fun.

They are going to have to be bolder with the plotting of the sequels, because you can only get away with a direct copy and paste once, so it will be interesting to see how they fair in the future, but for now we have The Force Awakens. Old g recommends you leave your cynical hat at home and just lap up what's on offer this time round, because it'll probably never be this good again. 12 year old g is running around the back garden waving a broomstick, making light sabre noises and refusing to come in for his tea.

Was due to see it tomorrow. The thought of having something momentous spoilt for me tipped me over the edge. Called my brother, booked us impromptu tickets, left school at the same time as the students and hot footed it to the cinema.

Loved it, whether this was down to the merits of the film or because it utterly eclipsed my abject disappointment of the prequels, is neither here not there. Or maybe it was the constant riffing on A New Hope. It was fun, thrilling, upsetting, reverential and made me realise how much I truly loved and missed the original characters. If Disney's aim was to put a smile back on fans' faces and reintroduce the franchise (and yes, make billions) then I think they've managed to do that.

The new cast were excellent, Rey, Finn and Poe especially. Kylo Ren's face reveal did seem to come too early and whilst Driver's face has individuality, I'm not sure it had the menace that I'd want it to. Perhaps this was deliberate as it's clear he was still not totally evil. His father's murder, the scarification and his final Sith training will probably mean we'll have the baddie we desire.

It was predictable at times, but then again the originals were at certain points. Poe blatantly was still alive and Han's departure seemed pre-ordained from the moment we found out Ren was his son. Having said that, I thought his death was well done and Ford was cracking throughout. Rey appears either to be Ren's sister (twin's obviously run in Ren's family) as she was left on Jakku, possibly being separated from him for safety or (if he's an older brother) when he turned against Luke. Or they're cousins and she's Luke's daughter. Whether any of that is right, is unimportant. The fact that it has reawakened interest going forward is the salient point. I'm now really looking forward to the next one.

It's such an easy franchise to be snooty about, but it was always going to be hard to please everyone. It's populist. It's reverential. It's a tad predictable. It's a worthy addition to the canon; I've not been able to say that about a Star Wars film for 32 years. And that's why I loved it. Just like G, it reawakened a love for a franchise that was a huge part of my childhood and you know what, at times I felt like a kid again. The original trilogy had flaws but I didn't notice those as a kid. This film had flaws, but I couldn't give a shit about them because it made me abandon my adult cynicism through eyes full of childish glee.

I can't wait to see it again with my kids tomorrow. I'll look at my sons and hope that this film has the same resonance and magic that ROTJ did when I was a similar age. I think Peter Bradshaw's review in the Guardian was spot on:-

Peter Bradshaw wrote:
JJ Abrams banishes memories of George Lucas’s prequels with this outrageously exciting and romantic return to a world you hadn’t realised you’d missed so much

He's spot on, it wasn't until I watched The Force Awakens that I realised I'd missed the franchise so much. Every time a golden oldie appeared, when the chess set flickered on, when those magical combat sounds resonated around the auditorium, I remembered what a magical part of my youth the original trilogy had been. For me, hyperbole aside, I really felt like I was reliving those carefree days of my youth and for that it was a really special film.

Chess set was genius.
I'm with Stoph on the Kylo Ren debate. I think the early helmet reveal was quite intentional. It's there because if it isn't then he comes across as being a super bad-ass when the truth is he really isn't. He's just a wannabe Vader. A Sith fanboy if you will. Truth is it reveals him to be a bit of a wanker, and that's intentional. I'd imagine they want to give his villainous character scope to grow in the sequels as much as the heroes rather than just being a one dimensional big bad.